The event carries the message “10 billion green steps – For a sustainable Viet Nam” on the occasion of the 81st anniversary of the August Revolution, the 81st anniversary of the traditional day of the People’s Public Security Forces (August 19, 1945 – August 19, 2026), and the 81st anniversary of the National Day of the Socialist Republic of Viet Nam (September 2, 1945 – September 2, 2026).
The opening ceremony was held simultaneously in all 34 provinces and centrally run cities, with the main venue located at Dong Kinh Nghia Thuc Square by Hoan Kiem Lake in Ha Noi, connected to venues in the other 33 provinces and cities nationwide. Delegates took part in the flag-raising ceremony, with footage of the flag-raising ceremony broadcast live from Ba Dinh Square. Following the flag-raising ceremony, the main walking activity began simultaneously in all localities.
Although the main activity took place on the morning of August 30, the programme has created a nationwide community movement, connecting the central and local levels in recent days. With the message “10 billion green steps – For a sustainable Viet Nam”, the organisers have called on people across the country to exercise, cultivate a habit of physical activity, and join hands in promoting a green lifestyle.
Participants register, connect their devices, and accumulate steps on the programme’s official portal: https://cungvietnamtienbuoc.nhandan.vn to contribute to the campaign’s overall target of 10 billion green steps. Through the programme, the organisers aim to promote key values, including: harnessing the strength of great national unity and encouraging the spirit of physical training in the community; promoting the “All people practise physical training following the example of great Uncle Ho” movement; strengthening the bond between the People’s Public Security Forces and the people, while encouraging everyone to proactively adopt a healthy and active lifestyle; working towards establishing a Guinness World Record to affirm the ability to connect communities on a nationwide scale; and promoting a green lifestyle towards the goal of Net Zero, encouraging walking, choosing more environmentally friendly means of transport, and raising public awareness of emissions reduction, environmental protection, and sustainable development.
Alongside the official event, launch activities of the “Marching forward with Viet Nam” programme took place actively in many localities on August 29. The exhibition space of Nhan Dan Newspaper, located on the newspaper’s premises overlooking Hoan Kiem Lake, created a space connecting information, the community, and the journey towards a sustainable Viet Nam. With its message of environmental protection, the Nhan Dan Newspaper booth attracted a large number of children. At the booth, they were guided how to make various household items and toys from recycled materials such as milk cartons, plastic bottles, drinking straws, and plastic bottle caps.
According to the plan, Guinness World Records was also to officially announce that “Marching forward with Viet Nam” had established a Guinness World Record for the number of localities simultaneously organising walking activities to raise environmental awareness.
According to figures displayed on the “Marching forward with Viet Nam” programme portal, at the time of recording at 6 p.m. on August 29, the number of steps had exceeded 1.2 billion, with more than 182,000 participants across 34 provinces and cities. This was equivalent to more than 10% of the programme’s target of 10 billion steps set by the organisers for this year. Reaching the milestone of 1 billion steps before the main event demonstrates the strong public response to the programme. Each step recorded online represents a contribution to the campaign’s overall goal of 10 billion green steps.
This is the second consecutive year that the “Marching forward with Viet Nam” programme has been held. In 2025, the programme set a target of 1 billion steps but attracted more than 1.1 million participants and recorded over 6 billion steps. This result laid the foundation for the “Marching Forward with Viet Nam 2026” programme to aim for the target of 10 billion green steps.
